Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has agreed to negotiate with NATO to put an end to air strikes against his forces, but insisted that he would not leave his country.

"I'm not leaving my country," he stated during a live address on state television in the early hours of Saturday. "No one can force me to leave my country and no one can tell me not to fight for my country," Gaddafi went on to say.

"Libya is ready until now to enter a cease-fire ... but a cease-fire cannot be from one side. We were the first to welcome a cease-fire and we were the first to accept a cease-fire ... but the crusader NATO attack has not stopped," he added.

Meanwhile, reports have claimed that Gaddafi's forces have launched an assault on rebel-held Misrata.